Near the village of Tezze di Arzignano in northern Italy, archaeologists have found a Roman settlement which appears to have been built on top of a prehistoric site.
Battista Carlotto, a farmer in Valbruna, had discovered what looked like ceramics, mosaic, and glass of the Roman Empire. According to the materials found, that settlement could have existed more than 400 years - from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd or 4th century CE. Manuscripts found in Vicenza's Bertoliana Library confirmed late 18th century accounts of extensive Roman remains in the vicinity.
When researchers under the guidance of George Crothers, an associate professor of anthropology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, made a geophysical survey - creating a map of what is below the surface - the readings also revealed large circular features below the Roman site.
"The circular ones were a complete surprise - this was totally unexpected because first of all they were large," said archaeologist and art historian Paolo Visona, a native of northern Italy and adjunct associate professor of art history at the UK College of Fine Arts. "The radar told us those were much deeper than the structures with right angles, which had to be Roman."
Visona suggests the circular features could be from the Neolithic to the late Bronze Age. The team hopes to do more research at the site. Currently, the group is working with the University of Venice, analysing some of the finds.